'Producers' a funny valentine to the Broadway musical

Ulla (Hilary Michael Thompson) dazzles Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Jay Brian Winnick, center) and his new associate, a neurotic, anxiety-ridden accountant named Leo Bloom (Jeff Skowron). In its re-creation of the original staging of Mel Brooks' Tony-winning 2001 show, 3-D Theatricals' production has the look, sound and feel of a Broadway musical.ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE

Had anyone in 1968 suggested to Mel Brooks that he turn his then-recent comedy film “The Producers” into a Broadway musical, he probably would have laughed and told them they were meshuggah (not right in the head).

In 3-D Theatricals’ new staging, director and music director David Lamoureux and choreographer Linda Love-Simmons have accurately re-created Susan Stroman’s original direction and choreography. The result is a local “Producers” that has the look of a blockbuster Broadway show. Like the original, it’s a deliriously silly valentine to the Broadway musical.

More importantly, it’s got the irresistible energy and infectious looniness that’s the hallmark of Brooks’ best films, thanks to its stellar principal cast and talented, versatile ensemble.

At its core, though, the show is really about the friendship that develops between the two men as they defraud backers of a new Broadway musical, “Springtime for Hitler,” by deliberately ensuring a flop (and so avoiding having to reimburse all investors).

Only one so lacking in self-confidence as Leo would go along with Max. Skowron isn’t necessarily a highly skilled comedic actor – his fine dramatic work propelled 3-D’s “Parade” last season – but from Leo’s first full-blown panic attack in Max’s office to his eleventh-hour attempt to stand up for his friend, the actor is convincingly neurotic and needy.

The various oddballs Max and Leo encounter in their quest to stage “Springtime” are, of course, one of the hallmarks of “The Producers.” First off is the nutty play’s author, Franz Liebkind, played to perfection by Norman Large as an obvious wacko and a zealot when it comes to all things Nazi.

Large’s lunacy paves the way for Roger De Bris, “the worst director who ever lived.” David Engel’s take on this cross-dressing fruitcake is deliciously arch, including his Hitler’s string of macho gestures at the finale of “Springtime” to try to convince opening night audiences that Der Führer was butch, not fruity.

Roger’s creative staff of butch bikers, buff Indian chiefs and the like is a scream – but it’s Leigh Wakeford as Carmen Ghia, Roger’s not-so-secret lover, who steals his every scene. Slinking around in a black leotard, Carmen’s every move and utterance are exaggerated for maximum comic impact.

Generating boisterous laughs and sex appeal is Hilary Michael Thompson’s Ulla, the statuesque Swede who mesmerizes Max and captures Leo’s heart. Thompson is all the blonde bombshell should be: tirelessly supportive of the boys, endearing to us.

Brooks’ dizzily silly lyrics assert themselves right from the start and his surprisingly skilled score has an authentic show-biz feel. That score snaps, crackles and pops in the hands of conductor Lamoureux and 15 musicians provided by Los Angeles Musicians Collective.

The large-scale dance scenes have a joyous kick to them, and those numbers that launch into good old-fashioned tap dancing are downright rousing (or happily nutty, like the legion of little old ladies and their walkers).

Provided by Networks, Robin Wagner’s scenic work has an aptly fanciful look, while the costumes, based on William Ivey Long’s original designs (and also by Networks), are eye-filling.

By the time the outrageously funny climactic musical number from “Springtime for Hitler” arrives, with its beauty pageant-like parade of tall, leggy showgirls costumed beer steins, wieners and pretzels (or clad as Valkyries or victory eagles), you’ll probably have laughed yourself silly.

In fact, everything about the show’s looniness is contagious: First, it spreads from Max to Leo to all of the characters; then, via the increasingly outré script and songs, it infects us too.

With a production like 3-D Theatricals’ playing up and amplifying that crazy fun, you can’t help but be charged up with the over-the-top hilarity of “The Producers.”

Ulla (Hilary Michael Thompson) dazzles Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Jay Brian Winnick, center) and his new associate, a neurotic, anxiety-ridden accountant named Leo Bloom (Jeff Skowron). In its re-creation of the original staging of Mel Brooks' Tony-winning 2001 show, 3-D Theatricals' production has the look, sound and feel of a Broadway musical. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Producer Max Bialystock (Jay Brian Winnick) and a crowd of admirers dance in front of the Shubert Theatre on the closing night of "Funny Boy," Max's musical comedy version of "Hamlet." ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
In the song "The King of Broadway," Max (Jay Brian Winnick) laments the fact that his days as the hottest producer on the Great White Way are apparently behind him. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Leo (Jeff Skowron, left) is OK with having Max (Jay Brian Winnick) fill his head with dreams and schemes of becoming a Broadway producer - but in the end, he decides to return to his humdrum job as a public accountant. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
In a fantasy sequence, Leo (Jeff Skowron) imagines what his life would be like as a Broadway producer, meeting, auditioning, and dancing with the most beautiful showgirls on earth. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Max (Jay Brian Winnick, left) and Leo (Jeff Skowron) celebrate their new partnership as Leo quits his job at the accounting firm and decides to join Max in producing a new Broadway musical. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Overenthused Third Reich zealot Franz Liebkind (Norman Large) has written a play called "Springtime for Hitler" which glorifies Nazi Germany - and which producer Max Bialystock has asked his permission to stage as a Broadway musical. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
The lithe, all-black-clad Carmen Ghia (Leigh Wakeford) not only handles all of director Roger De Bris's business and personal affairs; he's also the famous director's secret romantic partner. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Max (Jay Brian Winnick, left) and Leo (Jeff Skowron) pay a visit to Roger De Bris and are greeted at the front door by his personal assistant, Carmen Ghia (Leigh Wakeford). ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Roger (David Engel) makes a grand entrance in a shimmering silver dress and headpiece which turn him into a walking, talking verison of The Chrysler Building. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Ulla (Hilary Michael Thompson), a statuesque blonde Swede who dreams of being in show business, wins herself a job as Bialystock & Bloom's new personal secretary and receptionist - and a role in their new musical, "Springtime for Hitler" - by singing "When You Got It, Flaunt It." ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
In the musical number "Along Came Bialy," legions of Max's little old lady fans, and the bulk of those who invest in his shows, crowd the stage and do a tap-dance scene using walkers, led by Max's most ardent fan, the woman known as "Hold-Me, Touch-Me" (Tracy Lore, center). ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Leo (Jeff Skowron) and Ulla (Hilary Michael Thompson) sing about and dance to their new romance in the musical number "That Face," which opens Act II of "The Producers." ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Ulla (Hilary Michael Thompson), Max (Jay Brian Winnick), Leo (Jeff Skowron), Franz (Norman Large), Roger (David Engel) and Carmen (Leigh Wakeford) are flanked by Max's many adoring fans in front of a marquee touting a new Max Bialystock show opening soon: "Springtime for Hitler - A New Neo-Nazi Musical." ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
Carmen (Leigh Wakeford) and Roger (David Engel) excitedly prepare for the opening night of what they hope will be a long-running musical theater hit - "Springtime for Hitler." ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE
"The Producers" closes with Max (Jay Brian Winnick, left) and Leo (Jeff Skowron) wandering off into the sunset in front of a garish marquee touting the many musical theater hits of Bialystock & Bloom - shows like "Katz," "Maim" and "A Streetcar Named Murray." 3-D Theatricals' staging runs in Fullerton through Feb. 16 before moving on to a limited engagement in Redondo Beach. ISAAC JAMES CREATIVE

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